A participatory sensing system for road quality data acquisition

The first purpose of this study was to integrate a dedicated sensor system inside a participatory sensing network consisting of several subsystems that is able to acquire good quality sensor data, process this data in an efficient manner and visualize IRI numbers for different roads. The second purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the system is able to provide instrumental value for multiple stakeholders. In the end it was determined that the first purpose was successfully realized. This success is based on several factors that are further explained in depth through the course of this bachelor thesis. It was also determined that instrumental value could be provided in several ways. The first way is through improving governmental maintenance planning and decreasing associated costs. The second way is through decreasing money spend on car damage caused by bad road quality. The third way is by providing a platform for supplying data that can give scientific insight into infrastructure quality and data heterogeneity. Lastly the system also provides value to ‘user initiatives’ that are coming up with the intention to take responsibility of road quality monitoring and maintenance into the hands of the general public.